Just Say Yes
by OurMrsParker
Summary: My take on what happened after Lorelai proposed at the end of Season 5. Short, one-shot, fluff. JavaJunkie. R


Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say "Not Mine"? Grrr. NOT MINE. NEVER WAS, NEVER WILL BE.

Author's note: I wrote this a while ago...kinda short, fluffy, etc. Rated T to be safe. I write a lot of T.

"Rory dropped out of Yale." Lorelai said, looking tired and defeated as she sat down on the diner chair, her purse resting on the table.

"What?" Luke looked up, his hand frozen on the spot he was scrubbing away on the counter.

"She dropped out of Yale and moved in with my parents, who I went to for help, and they stabbed me in the back. Everything we worked for. All these years. Her whole future. She was supposed to have more than me. She was supposed to have everything. That was the plan. We had a plan." Lorelai looked lost and stunned, and she was completely burned out.

Luke was pacing the floor in front of Lorelai, and he stopped, getting an idea. "Okay, I'm sorry, I have to jump in here. Uh, I know you think you have this thing handled, but I can help. First off we call Yale. And we tell them something like, uh, Rory had a chemical imbalance and she was medically out of her mind when she told them she was dropping out. And then we get her out of your parents' house, whatever way we can, and we lock her in her room, with you, cause you can talk her into this. You can talk anyone into anything." Lorelai smiled at this, but Luke didn't even pause.

"And then, if worst comes to worst, we will drive her to school every day, and we will follow her to class and camp out there to make sure she goes. I'll take morning classes; you take afternoon classes, or the other way around, if it works out better for your schedule. And, I know there's a few kinks to work out, and the kidnapping thing might be a little problematic, but either way, she is not quitting school. This was her dream. I am not gonna let this happen."

Luke stopped pacing and looked at Lorelai. She was staring at him in an odd way, and he felt nervous. "What?" he asked.

"Luke, will you marry me?" Lorelai's tone wasn't exactly a question, more like a desperate sentence. Her voice was a little hoarse, and she looked at Luke like she'd never looked at him before.

"What?" he asked again, but this time, it was more surprise in his voice than any other emotion. She didn't really want this; he knew it! Wasn't she the one who was considering selling the Dragonfly? And when he made that slip about kids, she almost went crazy! What about the Twikimm House? He already told Taylor he didn't want it. This couldn't be happening!

"Luke?" Lorelai was getting worried. She had just proposed. Her. Lorelai Gilmore. She had only been engaged once, and she didn't even go through with it. She bailed only a few days before the wedding. And now she was proposing to Luke Danes, the Diner Owner? Lucas "Butch" Danes? Luke, Mr. Coffee God/ Flannel Junkie? Luke, who got married and then cheated on in less than a month? Luke, who she had screamed at so many times she couldn't even count? Luke, the same Luke that she met in his diner eight years ago, begging for coffee? Luke, who was the most incredible man in bed, and whose kisses made her melt inside? That Luke Danes?

_Yes._ Lorelai thought. _That Luke Danes._

Luke didn't answer her when she said his name.

"Luke…are you…I mean…are you gonna say…_anything?_" Lorelai asked, feeling completely stupid now. She had just proposed to him; a serious, honest-to-God proposal, and he hasn't said anything?

"I…no."

"No?"

"No. I…I have to go…now…I have to leave…" Luke grabbed his coat, and walked out the door, brushing past Lorelai as he went. The bells rang as the door opened, and then stopped once the door was back to its original position. Lorelai was left in the diner, all alone, with a shocked and heartbroken look on her face. A minute after Luke's words had sunken into her, she dropped her head into her hands, and she cried.

Luke drove to the only place he thought he could sort this out-Sniffy's Tavern. It was after hours, but he knew Maisy and Buddy Linds would still be up, sorting through papers and tidying up the place.

He knocked on the door, and Maisy answered it, with a very surprised look on her face. "Lucas!" she said, ushering him inside "What on Earth are you doing here? Where's that Lorelai of yours? Why aren't you off with her having a damn good time?" Luke took off his hat, and ran his fingers through his hair, something he did often when he was nervous.

"I…Maisy, could you find Buddy for me? I need to talk to you both." Maisy gave Luke a worried look, but turned to call for her husband.

"Buddy? Lucas is here! He wants you to come down." Maisy looked back at Luke, than put down three chairs, for all of them to sit on.

"I'm here, I'm here. Why are you here so late at night? I thought you'd be out doing something right now." Buddy sat down next to Maisy and Luke, and Luke just started running his fingers through his hair again, more nervous than before.

"It's about Lorelai. She-"

"She's not hurt, is she?" Maisy asked suddenly.

"C'mon, Maisy, let the boy speak." Buddy said, lightly scolding his wife.

"No…well, probably, but not physically. Maisy, Buddy, she…well, she proposed." Luke looked down at the floor, and Maisy's eyes lit up in happiness.

"Well, Lucas, that's wonderful! I always thought she would be the one. She was the only girl of yours to come here, and that's important." she said, a smile on her face.

"I didn't say yes." Luke said suddenly, and both Maisy's and Buddy's face took on a look of shock.

"What? Why not?" Maisy asked.

"Well, I just…I knew she didn't want it."

"She proposed, didn't she?" Buddy asked, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, but there's more to it. Earlier today…I…I bought a house. For the both of us. But I didn't tell her-I still haven't told her, but I don't think she wants to be married. She was thinking of selling the Dragonfly, and I said something about kids, and she got all weird, and I just think that she asked me to try and rid herself of the fact that Rory quit Yale and is living her with her parents from Hell. I know Lorelai, and I know that she doesn't want marriage. Especially not with me." Luke said the last sentence softer, and Maisy looked at Buddy, then placed a gentle hand on Luke's arm.

"Luke, I know that's not true. She was looking at you like a whore when you took her here."

"Maisy." Buddy said, his tone a warning.

"Well, I'm just saying…she wants you." Maisy said, gentler this time.

"How do you know that?" Luke asked, his voice raw.

"Because I saw it the first time she walked in here with you. She had this look in her eyes like she was in heaven. She loves you."

Lorelai sat in the diner, tears streaming down her face. She didn't know what she did. She wanted to be with Luke. The gap of time they had been apart proved that her life without him was Hell, and she never wanted to be apart from him again. And then…he just left. He left. No explanation. He just left.

"What did I do?" she whispered, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears. The diner was supposedly closed, and it was really late, so she didn't have to worry about anyone from town coming in, asking questions.

She didn't even know where Luke had gone. She saw him grab his coat and leave, jumping into his truck and driving away. She thought about getting her stuff from his apartment upstairs, but that would only make her cry even more, being in a room that was filled with him. His smell, his clothes, everything.

So instead she sat at the table, crying silently, wishing he would come back, but fearing what he would say to her if he did.

Luke was at the doorway in Sniffy's Tavern, putting his coat on as Buddy began to talk. "Remember," Buddy began, looking at Luke sternly "you've loved her for eight years, Lucas. Don't let her go now." Luke nodded, the headed back into his truck, and began the drive back to the diner.

Lorelai wanted to go home. Sitting in the place where Luke had broken her heart wasn't doing anything to help her calm down. It just made the pain more raw and real. But she couldn't leave. She couldn't make her legs move. If she left that diner, she would be accepting the truth. The truth that Luke had just refused her proposal, and had left her there, alone, to deal with the pain and the aftermath. She couldn't face that reality, either. So she just sat there, torn between two horrible realities, and wishing the floor would open up beneath her and suck her down into another dimension.

Luke was pushing the speed limit, hoping Lorelai hadn't left the diner. 45…50…55…

"Damnit, can't you go faster?" he cried in frustration, hitting the steering wheel of his car. He had to talk to her. He just had to see her. But the image of her eyes as he walked out the door, filled with utter confusion and extreme pain, made his heart wrench and tear in his chest, and made tears sting his eyes.

Why did he have to leave? Why did he have to say No? He had left her there, without an explanation, and had driven off. He cursed himself for causing her so much pain.

_You're a damn fool._ He thought to himself, driving across the deserted roads.

He saw the white sign in the middle of town. STARS HOLLOW. FOUNDED 1779. He turned the corner sharply, and sped towards the diner, praying to dear God she was still there.

Lorelai heard the screeching of tires and a car door slam, and she knew he was back. She was going to leave. When he came in, she was going to respect his wishes, and leave. But part of her knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

He came to the door and almost wrenched it open, his heart lifting as he saw Lorelai sitting in the same spot that he had left her in. But his joy was short-lived as he saw her face, the remnants of tears and the obvious pain etched in her eyes.

"Lorelai," he began, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy thing to fix.

"I don't know what I did." She said quietly, new tears falling from her eyes. "But I'm…gonna leave, and…I'm s-sorry for coming…back into your l-life…" she grabbed her purse, and tried to move past Luke toward the door, but he blocked her path.

"L-let me g-go…" she sobbed, her hands shaking.

"No." Luke said, closing his eyes and wishing the pain was gone from her.

"Stop saying that…word. Just let me go h-home…" she didn't look at Luke. She just stared at the floor, clutching her purse and wanting to leave.

"Lorelai…please…" She heard him say her name, and her knees became weak at the way he said it. It was just a name. Three syllables, hard to spell, but he made it seem like the most valuable word in the human language.

"Luke…don't do this…I'm doing what you wa-wanted…p-please…" more tears came, and they fell onto her shirt, and onto Luke's hand, which was holding Lorelai's arm.

"Don't go, Lorelai. Please." He silently begged she would look into his eyes and realize he was serious, but she just continued to stare at the floor.

"Lorelai…Lorelai, please look at me…" Luke touched her chin, making Lorelai shudder. She reluctantly raised her eyes, and her breath caught in her throat.

His eyes were filled with passion. He hated seeing her this upset, and what he hated more was the fact that he had caused it.

"What?" she asked, glancing back at the floor, then back up at Luke. He didn't say anything. He bent down, and kissed her, long and hard.

She dropped her purse, and her hands went to his neck, playing with his hair, and relishing in the feeling of his body. His hands slip up her shirt, and she moaned, amazed at how such a little act could have so much impact on her.

She pressed against him, feeling his warm body against hers. God, she missed this. It hadn't even been very long, but the thought of loosing these moments forever made her heart break. Luke broke their kiss, and began kissing her neck and ear, while Lorelai moaned in absolute pleasure.

Luke lifted his head and looked Lorelai straight in the eyes. And with one word he stole her heart forever.

"Yes."


End file.
